Can-opening device.



L. DBLPEUT.

CAN OPENING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED 815F128. 1910.

1 1 08,7 1 9 I Patented Aug. 25, 1914.

l1 3mm 0a L eonDe/pe 24 7f W M THE NORRIS PETERS CO. PHOTO-LITHO. WASHINGTON4 D. C

mien nnnrnur, or LISBON, PORTUGAL.

oAn-orEnINe DEVICE.

I Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 25, 1914.

Application filed September 26, 1910. Serial No. 583,838.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, LEON DELPEUT, a citizen of the Republic of France, residing at 4:0 Rua do Corpo Santo, Lisbon, Portugal, merchant, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Can-Opening Devices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in cans, tins and the like and opening devices therefor.

In the improved tin, one wall of the box which is preferably bordered by a rib and weakened along a line to' facilitate tearing of the metal, can be torn by twisting it around'an appropriate key operating on a tongue fixed to said wall or forming part of the same.

The present invention consists essentially in the arrangement of the tongue and of a guide piece combined with the tongue and which insures the metal being torn along the proper line.

The annexed drawing illustrates various examples of construction of the device.

Figure l is an elevation of the inner face of a wall of the box. Fig. 2 is a section taken on the line A A of Fig. 1. Figs. 3 and 4 are elevations showing other forms of construction. Figs. 5 to 9 illustrate modified forms of the tongue and guide.

In the inside of the Wall 1 for instance the top of the metal tin or box which is provided adjacent its edges with a weakened line 2, and also possibly with a rib 3 formed along this line, is secured a small piece of metal 4 of a more or less-malleable nature and which I term a guide. This guide, the

shape of which can vary, for instance, it can be straight or curved, is placed along a part 5, 5 of the weakened line, which has a small slit 6 just sufficient for the passage of a tongue 7.

The tongue 7 consists of a strip of sufficiently strong tin of narrow width. The length of the tongue is such that being folded in the slit at about its middle, its inner end passes around the guide a and is soldered at 8 to the lid 1 of thebox by simple fusion of the tin of the tongue and of the cover. The projecting extremity is sufiiciently long to be easily grasped by the fingers and rolled around the key.

hen the tongue is introduced in the slit, the edges of the same are flattened against the tongue and the tin melted to close the joint, or a little solder can be put enthe outside for this purpose as there is 'no fear of it passing through the slit.

The guide 4 is fixed to the lid 1 and the tongue -7;when the slit is closed without the prevents the tongue from tearing a narrow strip out of the tin lid and causes the tear in the lid to follow the weakened line. The malleability of the guide 4- has the effect of the tearing of the cover to be gradual and consequently preventing the tongue from being torn off. An important feature of this arrangement is that as the guide is arranged between the tongue and the cover greater resistance is secured and for insuring the tearing of the cover than if the guide were formed by a direct extension of the tongue. In the latter case when the tongue is wound around the key, the part of the tongue adjacent the slit is drawn vertically and lifts thecorresponding por tion of the cover at the same time sharply curving it so that the solder! fixing the tongue to the cover is immediately submitted to severe stresses of flexion and traction which often cause breakage to prevent which, it has been the custom to use a great deal ofsolder to produce a stronger construction.

lVith the new device the resistance to the flexion of the guide superposed to the tongue has the effect of preventing the edge of the slit from curving easily and of consequently only submitting the inner portion of the tongue to an insignificant traction during tearing. The result is that the tongue does not require to be fixed exceedingly strongly and can be fixed by the simple fusion of the tin plate which forms the tongue and the cover without the addition of solder proper. There is no need to use solder to fix the guide to the cover, nor even to block the small'slit through which the tongue passes.

This suppression of solder is ofgreat importance hygienically. From Figs. 1, 3 and 4t it can be seen that the form and position of the tongue and guide can vary. In these constructions the rib 3 is stopped at each.

sideof the guide.

The present device has advantages over those of a similar kind particularly by reason of the distinct or separate making of the two pieces constituting the guide and the tongue.

The pieces can be easily made Witl'lOllh waste, each element being cut from suitable I Only a small slit need be made in the wall of the box which slit is easy to .make

without any special stockof tools.

1th the present device thelstarting and guiding of the tear in the lid are so well.

.assured that there is no need .to take into account the rolled direction of the sheet metal whenmaking the boxes which results in reducing waste and saving of .cost of production. The opening-device can be ar-i I ;ranged in a corner of the lid or at the side thereof.

There is no dangerofsolder penetrating into the box.

Instead of placing the guide against the 'cover and then fixing thetongue above this guide it is advantageous in certain cases,

particularly'when the use of solderis not inconvenient, to solder the .guide and the tongue together; as they are placed'on the =cover the guide thus provided with its tongueis heated sothat the solderemployed will also serve to fix the guide, tongueand cover together and also to block the slit of" the latter.

Figs. 5 and6 illustrate opening-members thus made in advance, 4 represents the guide and 7 the tongue which are soldered to- I gether. A straight band 4 folded to a V- shape could be used, the arms of which follow the direction of the lines provided for tearing the cover. The tongue T'then passes over thef olded part. This arrangement has the advantage of considerably strengthening the-opening member atthe point where'the resistance would be greatest; further if the band is cut in the direction of rolling the arms of the same when folded offer the greatest possible resistance to produce the tear ing-of the lid, further the manufacture of "this guide does "not necessitate any special tool and the bending can-be made with the same facility, whatever the angle chosen. The reinforcement resulting fromthe superposition of the guide and the tongue canbe 1 obtained also without the guide and the tongue being absolutely distinct from one another; they can be made of asingle piece of tin plate conveniently cut and bent asindicatedfor example in Fig. 8. The tongue 7 is then cut so that its base is'widened out'to form a plate (shown in dotted lines) which when folded along the transverse line 99 forms the guide 4.

Fig. 9 shows another form of construction in which the tongue 7 has a long and narrow extension which is folded three times so as to form a V-shaped guide 4 as in 'the'c'ase of Fig. 7 and-'a transverse piece 10 connecting this guide'to the tongue. The band of tin plate is straightbefore being folded... Claims: 1. The combination withatin canhaving a slit therein, of a device for openingsaid can comprising a guide secured to the inner face of the wall of the can to be broken through, one of :the edges of. said guide being placed close to the slit in said wall, and a, tongue .placed'through said slit and under the guide and secured ,to:said wall, to break through the wall through the medium of said guide.

2. The combination with a tin can having a slit in its wall to be broken through, of a device for opening said can comprising a tongue passed through said slit, the inner end of said tongue being secured to said wall at a distance from said slit, and a guide placed between the said wall. and tongue, between said slit and the point at which the inner end of the: said tongue is placed transversely to the tongue.

3. The combination with a tin'can having a slit therein, of a device for opening said p can comprising a tin laminated guide secured beneaththe wall to be broken through, near the slit in said wall, and a tin tongue placed through the said slit and underneath the guide, thedirections of the laminating of the guideand of the tongue crossing one another.

4. The combination with a tin can having a slit therein, of a device for opening said 3 can comprisinga guide secured beneath the wall-to be broken through, a tongue passed through said slit and secured to said wall, the guide being bent in V-shape and the bend thereof placed adjacent said slit between the wall and the tongue.

5. The combination with a tin can having a slit therein, of a device for opening said can-comprising a guide secured beneath the wall to be broken through and havingone edge thereof placed adjacent said slit, and a tongueplaced through said slit and underneath the .guide, saidguide and tongue being made of. a single piece of bent tin.

In testimony, that. I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have signed my name in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

' LEON DELPEUT.

Witnesses: I

H. 0-GOXE, MAURICE Roux.

Copies of thisapatentmay be obtained'for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washingtoiz, D. C. 

